- 7/11/11
- 485
- 12
- 18
Hi all,
Only TODAY I realized that after buying reps for about 10 years, and in quantity for the last 5 or so, I may have learned something.
So, I thought I'd share the best thing I've learned.
For the love of God, do NOT drop cash on the latest 1:1, ultimate version, made-from-dissection-of-genuine-sample rep UNTIL you have had a chance to wear a similar watch around town, yourself.
How I did this right and saved myself $1000:
Example 1: I was positive that I loved Tourbillon Movements -- WRONG.
So, I was so sure that I was a Tourbillon guy that I spent hours devouring posts like this
http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=36615
by BigDee62 (haven't seen him around much lately, but a great read nonetheless)
I even spent time watching YouTube vids of these beauties like this by skathewatch
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUCkM7p4y0A"]Jaeger LeCoultre Master Tourbillon Replica. - YouTube[/ame]
... but I still wasn't sure. Even my "dress watches" are pretty laid back in comparison.
So, I bought a cheapo fake tourbillon rep (basically a 3 prong fan moving clockwise at the base of the dial) from Mary at WI, about $100 (instead of $700+ for working tourby). I wore it around the house. It looked like this:
(pic borrowed from non-AD website)
I tried to convince myself that I could wear my newly purchased rep tourby around town or to work, and HELL NO. I could not pull it off. Even a fake non-functional tourby made me feel like I was trying to be a pimp. If I had worn it to work, I would have stood out like Lady Gaga at a Phish concert. And mind you, that's with a FAKE tourbillon, not a real one with 600 moving parts and a lot more intricate movement action to stare at.
So, YAY I bought the cheapie first!
EXAMPLE 2: I was sure that I loved Panerai diver watches -- WRONG
There is way too much good information on the forums about PAMs. Damn you, ALE and your guide on RWI.
http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/reference-pam-review-107365
I had my eye on a couple of the most popular coffee-can PAM divers out there, and was probably going to get the 187G with 7753 to avoid sunken date wheel issues. This would have been the typical "1:1 replicated from a genuine watch sample, all parts are interchangeable with genuine" super rep, and even got (**) from ALE in its best version.
But I hadn't tried one out myself. Up on M2M showed up a 21J of the PAM 194, inferior in quality but essentially the same size, finish, and strap:
And, I have to say, it wasn't the flaws in the rep that got me. It's just that I'm not a PAM Submersible wearing kind of guy. It really does feel a little like you're strapping on plate-mail body armor to wear this thing. And I love my 7750 Graham Diver which is hardly tiny!
Again, hooray I bought the cheapie first.
So, I happen to live in an upscale suburb of San Diego, CA, where Authorized Dealers are thick on the ground. We have our Officine Panerai, we have AD's for everything from Rolex to AP to Jaeger to Richard Mille to even the obscure ones I love like F. P. Journe, hard to find if you're not in LA, NYC or Switzerland. But even trying on a watch in the AD for 5 minutes doesn't give you a sense if you'd like it. Don't be afraid to buy a second-hand, M2M, twenty-one-jewel low-end replica first before you drop the bills on a perfect replica. Because you just never know!
Cheers,
Mach
Only TODAY I realized that after buying reps for about 10 years, and in quantity for the last 5 or so, I may have learned something.
So, I thought I'd share the best thing I've learned.
For the love of God, do NOT drop cash on the latest 1:1, ultimate version, made-from-dissection-of-genuine-sample rep UNTIL you have had a chance to wear a similar watch around town, yourself.
How I did this right and saved myself $1000:
Example 1: I was positive that I loved Tourbillon Movements -- WRONG.
So, I was so sure that I was a Tourbillon guy that I spent hours devouring posts like this
http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=36615
by BigDee62 (haven't seen him around much lately, but a great read nonetheless)
I even spent time watching YouTube vids of these beauties like this by skathewatch
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUCkM7p4y0A"]Jaeger LeCoultre Master Tourbillon Replica. - YouTube[/ame]
... but I still wasn't sure. Even my "dress watches" are pretty laid back in comparison.
So, I bought a cheapo fake tourbillon rep (basically a 3 prong fan moving clockwise at the base of the dial) from Mary at WI, about $100 (instead of $700+ for working tourby). I wore it around the house. It looked like this:
(pic borrowed from non-AD website)
I tried to convince myself that I could wear my newly purchased rep tourby around town or to work, and HELL NO. I could not pull it off. Even a fake non-functional tourby made me feel like I was trying to be a pimp. If I had worn it to work, I would have stood out like Lady Gaga at a Phish concert. And mind you, that's with a FAKE tourbillon, not a real one with 600 moving parts and a lot more intricate movement action to stare at.
So, YAY I bought the cheapie first!
EXAMPLE 2: I was sure that I loved Panerai diver watches -- WRONG
There is way too much good information on the forums about PAMs. Damn you, ALE and your guide on RWI.
http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/reference-pam-review-107365
I had my eye on a couple of the most popular coffee-can PAM divers out there, and was probably going to get the 187G with 7753 to avoid sunken date wheel issues. This would have been the typical "1:1 replicated from a genuine watch sample, all parts are interchangeable with genuine" super rep, and even got (**) from ALE in its best version.
But I hadn't tried one out myself. Up on M2M showed up a 21J of the PAM 194, inferior in quality but essentially the same size, finish, and strap:
And, I have to say, it wasn't the flaws in the rep that got me. It's just that I'm not a PAM Submersible wearing kind of guy. It really does feel a little like you're strapping on plate-mail body armor to wear this thing. And I love my 7750 Graham Diver which is hardly tiny!
Again, hooray I bought the cheapie first.
So, I happen to live in an upscale suburb of San Diego, CA, where Authorized Dealers are thick on the ground. We have our Officine Panerai, we have AD's for everything from Rolex to AP to Jaeger to Richard Mille to even the obscure ones I love like F. P. Journe, hard to find if you're not in LA, NYC or Switzerland. But even trying on a watch in the AD for 5 minutes doesn't give you a sense if you'd like it. Don't be afraid to buy a second-hand, M2M, twenty-one-jewel low-end replica first before you drop the bills on a perfect replica. Because you just never know!
Cheers,
Mach
